HSV boss resigns suddenly

[DanielXR8]

Would have liked to be a fly on the wall for when this happened...

HSV boss resigns suddenly
Richard Blackburn, drive.com.au, August 1, 2008

HSV boss Scott Grant has resigned from the company after just 14 months at the helm.
Former HSV boss Scott Grant

Former HSV boss Scott Grant

Scott Grant has resigned as CEO of Holden Special Vehicles after just 14 months in the role.

The company released a brief statement this afternoon saying that Grant had resigned and will return to Sydney to “pursue other career opportunities”.

The statement says the resignation is “effective immediately”.

Sources say Grant, who left Toyota to join HSV, has not left for another job. Rumours suggest there may have been a falling out between Grant and HSV owner, fiery Scot Tom Walkinshaw.

There is, however, no reference to a difference of opinion in the HSV statement, which simply says: “HSV wishes to thank Scott for his contribution to the business over the last 14 months.”

The shock announcement comes just weeks after HSV's fastest, most expensive model - the new HSV W427 - went on sale.

Phil Harding, who held the top job at HSV before Grant, will take over as chief executive officer of HSV “with immediate effect”.

Harding has been based in Europe looking after HSV’s budding export business.

Drive has been unable to contact Scott Grant for comment.

Grant, who brought marketing and sales expertise to the engineering-focused HSV group, told journalists when he joined HSV that he believed the company’s product line-up was too narrowly focused.

In a recent interview he told Drive he was keen to attract more European car buyers to the HSV brand. “When you start talking about European buyers, we’ve probably still got opportunity to expand the product further in terms of its specification level to attract those people,” he said.

He saw exports as a key opportunity for the brand.

“Export is an area of growth (for HSV). It’s a great economic opportunity in markets around the world.”

He was also keen to boost sales of the Astra-based VXR hatch.

“I’d like to see the hatch (VXR) do better … I think that’s an opportunity to sell more cars. It’s relatively new in the marketplace. The Astra (VXR) provides an opportunity to speak to new customers.

“If you could agree that HSV’s buyer profile has been a bit narrow … what we’re trying to do over time – and we have the opportunity now with the current Astra – is to go a little bit younger, and a little bit different mindset with that product,” he says.

He also wanted to take the company’s dealer network more upmarket.

“My vision would be – I would love to see a beautiful, luxurious showroom where you’ve got everything from the Astra high-performance hatch all the way through to a long-wheelbase luxury cars and the various derivatives in between, presented in a way that’s different to general market Holden. For the most part we don’t have that through our dealer network currently and we also don’t have the dealer network that believe that can sell the broader range of product to a broader range of product.”